Reflux Help Needed!

Brita - posted on 09/29/2009
(
132 moms have responded
)

23

22

1

One of my twin boys has really bad reflux that is making everyone's life miserable. I feel absolutely horrible for him because he is so uncomfortable. He spits up, throws up, and screams constantly and my husband and I have to fight with him to take a bottle. I'm concerned that he will start to loose weight and/or become dehydrated. He's already 1 pound less than his twin brother (which is the biggest gap that they've had since they were born). I just need some help/suggestions/encouragement....anything would be appreciated!

MOST HELPFUL POSTS

Lacey - posted on 09/30/2009

2

2

0

Natural Healthy Cure!!!

We have the same exact problem with our 6 month old daughter but we seemed to have resolved it FINALLY!! No more chaning her clothes 4 times a day and constantly feeling bad for her! I didn't want her on meds....I wanted to heal the issue naturally.

In a matter of sticking with it for a few days and not expecting an instant cure, she has gone from projectile vomitting and tons of throw up and spit up all day long to maybe spitting up once or twice the entire day! I feel like such a proud mama for doing this the healthy way!!

Went to the healthfood store and found in the kid's section a brown bottle with a dropper lid on top. It is called 'Minty Ginger'. Basically, I found out that ginger and aloe are the best cures for reflux. I give her ginger extract drops 3 times a day, a little while before eating if I can seem to remember beforehand. When I forget, it even seems to stop reflux pain in its tracks for her! I also bought a caffeine free ginger tea that I am mixing with her oatmeals and purees.

My husband has been asking me for it for the past few days now. He says it has completely healed his reflux, and it is bad enough he is usually on prescription meds for it.

Ginger drops

Ginger tea (caff. free...haven't seen one yet that does have caff.)

Aloe Vera Juice - Super healer, yucky taste. Mixed with the tea and some honey or agave nectar for the hubs.

Have you talked with your pediatrician or specialist about this? If it does go on for too long (as in weeks and weeks), yes, your boy will eventually have weigh issues, but the worst problem would be with all of the acid he's bringing up... it could damage his esophagus, if I'm remembering what our pediatrician told us when our son was an infant. He was born twelve weeks premature, an only child, and had reflux in a horrible way. We did try to lighten up the tension and worry by saying he must've been Linda Blair's child. ;) If your pediatrician's no help, you should ask for a referral to a specialist. There are medicines that could help with the reflux, but it could also be that you need to change his formula if that's what you're feeding him with. We had to try a few different formulas before there was one our son tolerated. Take heart, this WON'T last forever, though it sure as heck feels like it.

132 Comments

View replies by

[deleted account]

Quoting Brita:

Reflux Help Needed!

One of my twin boys has really bad reflux that is making everyone's life miserable. I feel absolutely horrible for him because he is so uncomfortable. He spits up, throws up, and screams constantly and my husband and I have to fight with him to take a bottle. I'm concerned that he will start to loose weight and/or become dehydrated. He's already 1 pound less than his twin brother (which is the biggest gap that they've had since they were born). I just need some help/suggestions/encouragement....anything would be appreciated!

Hi Brita not sure where you live, but I'm in NZ and a product available is Gripe Water think its at either supermarket or chemist, fantastic stuff for wind. Good luck.

Im assuming you have already tried meny formulas and stayed up meny nights trying to sooth him. With twins offten one child will devlop faster than the other, it is possable your child has GERD, which is a little more than just reflux. Eather way, it is best to invest in a really good bottle ( I recomend Playtex Vent Aire Advanced) these will reduce the amount of air he takes in while gulping. Also mixing some rice cerel into his milk will make it thiker, sometimes this helps to hold it down. If his stomic cramps are really bad, swaddling can relive his pain somewhat, and rocking him face down with your arm aginst his stomic can relive presure and help calm him. Your anxity for him makes it worse, so If possable a fresh face and differant style keeps baby distracted, so switch off on colic duty often. I didn't belive it at the time but there is an end. Some even say that the the harder they are in the begining, the sweeter they are as a child.

They make meds for this, my children took pepcid prescription. It is very painful not to mention it can cause breathing problems. I would talk to the doctor, one of mine had to be on nutramagin for this in addition to the pepcid. My fourth and last child has done well on Enfamil AR which is for reflux babies. I would talk to the ped before changing formula though

My daughter was born with reflux as well. I had her at the pediatrician's office so many times, I finally ended up taking her to a specialist. We ended up putting her on Enfamil A.R., which helped sooo much, and we also give her Prilosec 1.5 ML in the AM and again in the PM. It is so stressful, but once you find something that works, everyone is so much happier! Good luck!

Ok..My daughter was born with Acid Reflux. She screamed for 20 hrs out of 24 hrs, everyday. Mention to your doctor that you would like an upper gi done. It's painless. My daughter was prescribed Zertex. She couldn't keep it down. We had to take her to a children's hospital. They put her on Previcid. It worked very well. My best advice to you, is what my doctor told me. No baby ever died of crying. Yes, it might hurt, and burn. If it gets too much for you to handle, leave the baby in a safe spot, and leave the room for a little. It's hard to deal with a baby that has this. I was only 17 when my daughter was born. I know how fustrating and hard it is.

My daughter was 6 wks early and had the same issue with the acid reflux. This concerned me at first because for the first year she didn't grow a whole lot due to always looking like the excersist!! The doctors said to be patient they do grow out of this and gave her a few drops of this prescription form of a acid reducer a couple times a day, plus dont let her lay flat on her back or side. So I did this for over a year and she did finally grow out of it but she does still have a episode here and there even now at 3yrs. old, but for the most part she's healthy and actually way above average on her motor skills and language skills. My suggestion is patients and lots of laundry detergent!!

I had a 2 premature children (@ 6 months, weighed only 2-2 and 2-12) The last one had GERD( Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) He was on medicine prescribed by the Dr. to help rebuild the lining in his throat due to constant vomiting. He was also on another medication to help along the healing process as well as to prevent further discomfort. Don't remember the names of the meds being this was 10 years ago. Also, feed small portions at a time, like 1, oz then burp, 1 oz and burp, etc. It is aggravating and annoying at times, but feed like that and you should notice a difference soon, less vomiting and less hunger so quick. I wish you lots of luck and any other questions, if I can help, I am here!

Have you talked to his pediatrician about it? My oldest son had sever GERD when he was younger, and still takes Prevacid (he's ten now). Childrens Maalox helped him a alot, but don't give your son any medications without checking with your pediatrician first. And trust me, its get better!!

Don't feel bad Brita. My son has acid reflux as well since the day he was born. He is on two medications for it. Talk to your doctor about your concerns at his next wellness check up. I ended up having to get a upper gi done on him to make sure that his intestines were not working right. Your doctor should have picked up on this right away. If they fight to take a bottle, try switching his formula. My son is on Good Start with the green label. He seems to do okay on it. But before you do anything like that, always talk to your doctor.

Talk to your doctor. If your nursing, the breast milk acts as a natural antacid. If not, your dr. should recommend alternative formulas to try. Try warming the bottle, or keeping the water room temp, which ever they tolerate best. I warmed the bottle and learned that my daughter preferred it room temp. She was on Prevacid for a while too. Honestly, I'm not sure if it helped or not, but the alternative isn't great. Keep him elevated too, like on a boppy when done eating.

All of the medications are weight based. If he was doing well with the Prevacid at first, and seems to be doing poorly, his dose may need to be adjusted. See if you can get him in for a weight check so they can adjust his dose. Also, you may need to see a GI specialist. The pediatricians tend to start off with lower doses, whereas, GI specialists are more comfortable giving a higher dose when needed. My son is 10 months now and he is finally turning the corner on his reflux. We do need to stay on top of his dosing though. If we don't, it gets bad.

If he is on solids, be sure to follow a reflux diet, which means no gassy, saucy, or acidic foods. You can do a google search to find details.

My newborn was very similar and i realised i was overfeeding him, try spacing his feeds out to every 3-4 hours and then if hes really unsettled and you have checked his nappy and hes been burped try a pacifier or dummy to get him settled. Now when it comes to feeding him try offering him the bottle or breast whichever you are using while he is sleeping, if you have timed that its been 3 or 4 hours since he last ate offer it to him by genntly picking him up while asleep this should avoid trying to feed him when hes havin a tantrum the more they cry the more air they gulp and end up with more`wind thus more reflux. also consider changing his bottles and make sure your using a small teet to ensure the milk isnt coming down too fast.

This is going to sound crazy and I thought the lady that told me had really lost her mind, but it does work. Take your baby to a chiropractor that can adjust infants or toddlers. I honestly thought it was just another one of those "old wives tales" until I seen it work. And the chiropracor made sense....the baby is folded in half for 9 months and their spine is no in line. I didn't exactly understand what the alignment had to do with the acid reflux, but it worked. I have seen it work on 3 babies that I know of.

Like I said, I honestly thought the lady that told me had truly lost all touch with reality. Please chose a chiropractor with care, but find one in our area that has experience with this and they will help you. They are usually reasonable in their rates as well.

After all the sleepless nights, unlimited screaming and the tears you have cried, it is worth a visit to see if it helps your baby too.

I had a baby with this condition and The doctoers told me to thicken the formula some. That way the milk stays down. And try not to lay the baby down intil he burps. If that does not work you might want to try this in little amounts at a time. For example 2 ounce then move up to 3 then 4;as he tolerates it.

he should be taking something for it they will also tell you you can give small amounts of mylanta to help

place something under his matress so he is slightly slanted up and not lead completely flat this is what i got told to do but the reason he is throwing up and refusing a bottle is the constant burning and pain you get in the asaphicus

My son ithrew up until he was a year old because of food allergies. The only advice for you is to talk to his doctor. How old is he? It might be a matter of allergans, or food intolerance. Have his blood tested for gluten and other basic food allergies.

Hi, my son had refux and my health visitor forwarded me for baby massage classes, might be of help! You can also get gaviscon from your GP and you can get drops that go in the bottles, these might work for you, they didn't for my son but i have friends who swear by them. You can also get cranial osteopathy but this would be a bit pricey! Best thing i did was just buy lots of clothes and get used to the smell of sick on me!! When solids start it tends to ease but it's just perservering x

i DONT KNOW HOW OLD THE BABY iS BUT TRY PUTTiN A LiL CEREAL iN HiS/HER BOTTLE. KAiDEN HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. YES THE DOCTORS SAY DONT BUT i DiD AND HiS REFLUX iS PRACTiCALLY GONE. iF YOU ARE DOiNG POWDER FORMULA PUT A LESS SCOOP OF FORMULA AND ADD A SCOOP OF GERBER RiCE CEREAL!

My youngest child had reflux from the time she was born and is jsut now outgrowing it. We did all the changing formula and mylicon drops and none of it worked for her. We ended up going to Vanderbuilt to see a GI Specialist and they put her on several different medicines and the only one that worked for her was Previcid. She stayed on it for a year and now doesn't have to take any meds at all and is doing great. Hope this helps

my 5 month old had sever refulx from birth....come at two months of age his doc put him on nutramigen formula and prevacid for the reflux...his was a combo of reflux and an allergy to the protien in cow's milk.... talk to his ped....and make sure you pay attention to how much he is spitting up...that is the big question they as...how much and how often.

Hi brita! I went through that with my oldest son nicholas. he had pyloricstenosis and had to have surgery and did much better after having it done. it is hard to see your child going through that and I completely understand it. Definately talk to your doctor about options because you don't want him to lose more weight. I am praying for you and please feel free to ask me any questions.

My daughter was born with acid reflux , Doctor prescribed zantac in liqid form and it was some nasty stuff . Ask your ped.if its ok to give your little one a tums or a part of one ,My daughter is 8 now ane i still give her tums when needed.

Wow, going through these posts is unreal. It's amazing how many little ones have this acid reflux problem. One of my twins had it so severe that I checked us BOTH into the hospital. The pain for him was unbearable. We saw a GI specialist. He had me switch to formula (and we tried every kind under the sun, but still the same problem so I went back to nursing). He put him on Zantac - did nothing. Then we tried Prevacid - did nothing. Then we tried Axid - did nothing. FINALLY, we tried NEXIUM and it was the wonder drug. It was as if a light switch was flipped. He never screamed and cried again, he nursed well (although I still had to keep him sitting upright after eating). Once he hit about 4 months I started weaning him off the meds and he has had no problems since. It's a horrible horrible experience when you feel so helpless and they are in such pain. I hope you find what will work for your little one. Definitely see you Dr. My pediatrician did nothing, hence the reason we went to the GI specialist! Good luck.

Hi Brita- First to say I am so sorry because it is not fun to have a little guy so uncomfortable!! My pediatrician put my son on medication, liquid Zantac. I also quit nursing and pumped for a few weeks to find that he got better (dr's didnt think that would matter and it did) I also put him on Enfamil AR for Acid Reflux and that helped a ton. He also was sleepin on his tummy way earlier then he should of also but I think it was his body telling him that it would help. He ws on his Rx until he ws about 8 months old and then we were able to ween him off of it. Now he is 2 years old and we have never had a problem. Also all the hints of not on his tummy right after eating and limit activity etc. Good Luck!

my son has the same thing but i use farex and it works, cheap its about $3 a box and if your bottle feeding you dont have to change formular, you can add to bottle (just add a half a teaspoon) or make it to a runny consitancy.

Hi, my son was 5 weeks prem, and had severe reflux for the the first 12 mths. I tried different formulas, but i think what helped was taking time to feed, stop gently burp, then feed, and then i would place him in the bouncinette with a dummy which kept him elevated, and the dummy quietened him down so he sat there a sucked to let his tummy settle. At night i just sat in the rocking chair and quietly held him to let his tuimmy settle before lying him back down.

My little girl had this same thing. We tried all sorts of special diets for me to make sure it wasn't anything in my milk. Finally they just gave me a prescription...not that it's always the solution, but from the first day I gave it to her she slept through the night. I have heard of some cases where they do have to have surgery to fix the problem, but those seem to be rare. Talk to your doctor about the options because just suffering through it can put too much strain on you and baby.

I have a daughter who has chronic acid reflux, because she had 2 heart surgerys and had a tube down her throat for 6 months!! My doctors have her on a very mild dose of Previcid and I just add it to her bottle twice a day. Another thing the doctors told me helps is if you put him up on a wedge at about a 30 degree angle (i just used a foot elevator I got from walmart for 10 dollars) but it really helps too if you don't want to do the medicine thing.

My Daughter ended up in the emergency room at 2 weeks old because I couldnt get her to eat and she wouldnt stop spitting up... sure enough it was acid reflux, we tried all the medicines spent hundreds of dollars and none of it worked. She slept in her car seat until she was 5 months old... it honestly helped at night, keeping her up right helped keep the acid down... as soon as she was able to sit up and crawl it went away.. also ask your doctor if there is something to help coat his throat so it doesnt burn so bad... that seemed to be the only medication that helped us through everything. Good Luck!

I live with the same problem... I also have twin girls and now they are 1 year old and the diference in weight is 5 pounds!!!! Just be pacient.... Do all that your pediatrician saids...give him small amounts of food every once you can...I know its thought to say it because they don't like to eat!!! I am feeding mine with pediasure and that all she eats and drinks... But me recomendations is pacience..a lot..be strong with your husband because the solution it's time!!!!

My son did too and we started him on the Wal*mart brand soy formula. It's the only thing that won't make him puke all the time. My son had acid reflux and so did my husband when he was a baby. I tryed other brands first but nothing would keep him form puking until my hubbys mom suggested the walmart brand. My son did lose weight about 5lbs and he's now 9 months old and 27 lbs LOL

One of my twin boys has really bad reflux that is making everyone's life miserable. I feel absolutely horrible for him because he is so uncomfortable. He spits up, throws up, and screams constantly and my husband and I have to fight with him to take a bottle. I'm concerned that he will start to loose weight and/or become dehydrated. He's already 1 pound less than his twin brother (which is the biggest gap that they've had since they were born). I just need some help/suggestions/encouragement....anything would be appreciated!

Is he or she on cereal ?? My daughter had horrible reflux on oatmeal and the gastroenterologist told me to thicken it . I did and she got worse. Finally I weaned her from the oatmeal and gave her baby barley cereal and no more throwing up ! I also put 2 small blocks under thelegs of the head of the crib to keep them elevated vs. flat. But I did that before I switched the cereal. Good luck !

My son's reflux was so bad...he was always losing weight! Seemed like he was spitting up more than I was feeding him! We got help from a Pediatric GI specialist who had lots of great advice for me! I was told to thicken his formula with the infant oatmeal, not the rice cereal because that causes constipation. He was also on Zantac. Reflux is the worst between 6 and 9 months of age and then they start to outgrow it. Another thing that we tried that really helped was giving him a small amount at a time. I would give him only a few ounces at a time and burp him frequently (every ounce). it is also very important to keep him sitting up and still for at least 45 minutes after feeding. Giving him a little bit of water might help as well because it will help with the burning sensation in his esophagus. I would definitely seek out the help of a GI specialist because mine was amazing and made it so much easier to understand and try to treat my son's reflux! Good luck and stay strong...it will be over before you know it!

We had the same issues. We tried to elevate his upper body to help him sleep. We also finally realized he was lactose intolerant. It took about 3 months of trying different formulas to figure it out. The pediatrician prescribed zantac for him and he was only 1 month old. He is able to drink milk and no longer has the reflux. Good Luck.

My son does too. It is so hard to see him in pain. I have found a few thing that work or at least improve the discomfort. I use the Mylicon drops, which seems to give some relief. The pediatricain also told me if the first dose doesn't work it is okay to give him another. It can make their stool a little runnier, but it is anyway. I sleep him on an incline to keep the acid from coming up when he lyes down. He really screams on his back anyways. He doesnt seem to mind being on his side. Daytime naps I will lay him on his side, as long as I'm around to watch him. I do not let him get to full and try to stretch out his feedings to make sure I can get plenty of burps in during one bottle and secondly to allow the food to start to digest to prevent spitting up and being too full.i also found feeding him in a upright position helps. My son will refuse the bottle if I dont burp him enough times.. When he his getting really upset.. I really do what I can to calm him and slow down his breathing. The more upset he gets the worse the acid reflux becomes.. I often rock him slowly against my skin with his head on my heart, trying to get his breathing to mimic mine or at least be slower. It usually works. Good luck with everything. Having twins it must get a bit overwhelming at times. Hang in there!

My daughter had reflux too and also GREATLY benefitted from the liquid Zantac AND adding rice cereal to the formula. You will have to make the nibble opening bigger in the bottle. More like an X, to get the thicker formula out. My pediatrition said 1 TB cereal per 1 oz of formula. The situation naturally corrected itself at 6 months, when the muscle became strong enough to keep the food in the tummy and the acid out of the esophagus!! I had my sweet, quiet, content baby back. No more vomiting, screaming, or trying to eat all the time cause she was always hungry because nothing would stay down!! Hope this helps you as much as it helped my Jetta. =)=)

My son was on Ranitidine(Zantac) until just after his first birthday, then it went away. I breastfed the entire time. They also did a Gastro x-ray to make sure his intestines were where they should be, and everything was fine. I don't know if we can reuse any of his clothes or bibs from the first year though ;)

My second child had reflux in a bad way too. She was just miserable. She was constantly crying and uncomfortable. I would definitely talk to your pediatrician. There few medicines most commonly prescribed. We tried two before we got the right one, then we had to play with the dosage to get it right. We switched to Enfamil AR. This has added rice starch. There's always sleeping in their swing (or elevated in the crib/on a sling), holding the baby upright during and after a feeding and maybe even Mylanta (some Docs, I'm told, have suggested it)?

My baby had bad reflux for a couple months and he was extremely fussy and would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. We put him on Prevacid, which I can't honestly say really did anything. Sometimes they just have to outgrow it. One day he was awful and in pain and literally overnight, he was better. We did put him to sleep in his car seat for about a month because the doctor said sleeping flat on his back actually did exacerbate his reflux. Once we started to do that he slept so much better. They now have a 'reflux wedge' that does the same thing, basically keeping baby at an upright angle, that may be more comfortable than a carseat. Good luck with everything, it will get better and he will grow out of it!

My daughter also had acid reflux really bad when she was a baby. We were at the doctors at least once a week and they switched her formula every time...which began to become annoying along with being expensive. She also had ear infections everyother week. I finally had enough and went to the doctors and demanded that something be done. They put her on 2 different medications...one to prevent the reflux and another to prevent the acid from coming up while she was sleeping, which was causing the ear infections. Don't take it lightly because due to all of the ear infections my daughter had she wound up having to have tubes put in because of all of the damage in her ears caused by the acid. She did wind up growing out of it, once she sat up on her own and wasn't laying so much but the damage was already done. I don't want to scare you but these are things that the doctor never told me and would just brush off. If you would like to know anything else please feel free to message me. Also if you would like to know the medication that my daughter took. Good Luck!!!

my son also suffered from acid reflux. well we all suffered! we tried everything that i have read above. we tried mylicon and diff formulas and the dr brown bottles and sleeping elevated etc etc ultimately my husband did hours of research on the internet and strong armed the dr into giving our baby zantac. within 2 days i saw my son smile :) it was amazing!! he was a new baby. i feel guilty that we didnt give it to him sooner and make all our lives happier. he did eventually grow out of it around 4 months like the dr said but why did he have to suffer those first few months? i am thinking and praying for all mommies that deal with this. good luck!

My daughter had colic as a newborn which seemed to improve around 3-4 months, but we found out recently (she's now almost 1) that she is lactose intolerant. I suggest asking your Doctor for a Lactose breath test, for a young baby it involves drawing some air away from the nostril with a syringe thing when they breath out, then getting them do drink a special drink, then a series of more breath tests over the space of about 2 hrs, and they have to fast for it, so it can be a bit tedious for little ones, but it might be worth ruling out. Or you could try an alternative formula such as a soy formula, or I am trying S26 formula for babies with lactose intolerance for my little girl. Also, if your baby is old enough to be on solids, try to cut out dairy from his food, which includes baby yoghurt, baby custard, cheese, and maybe even smaller traces of milk in biscuits, baby foods etc which would mean checking labels. I'm not a Doctor, Im just pointing out another possibilty, It never crossed my mind when my baby was colicy that she might be intolerant to my milk.

first of all,if a dr has tested and this is all it is,try soy milk or soy formula.if along with reflux problems,if he has bowl problems get him checked for hershprungs disease.my grandson was newborn and they kept fishing for answers and thats what was wrong with him and he ended having surgery to fix this.if its only reflux besides soy products try a drop of karo syrup in drinks...they use it for digestive problems.

My baby has reflux and i talked to my peds doctor. She gave us some medicine called Axid. Now my daughter eats great and sleeps almost all night. It takes about 1 to 2 weeks to start working effectively but it's worth it.